Bear attacks girl in hammock

[OneClick]

During COVID, the areas I frequent have only seen an uptick in visitor traffic.

I see it so much and really hate to have it confirmed by others. That's how it is. I keep hoping it's a temporary fad. Things were not too busy just 5 years ago, but busy enough.

[Bob-W]

Sadly another attack, made news here in the UK - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57763443 - the headline is "cyclist" but she was actually camping so could have been anyone. Seems like she had food in her tent at one point so whether there were residual scents or indeed some food she hadn't removed isn't clear.

@dutch_henry - sad to see that ignorant behaviour isn't just a British thing. We get had a very dry April and May yet people head out into tinder dry countryside and start barbeques with predictable results. This has been exacerbated this last year with Covid travel restrictions meaning the riff-raff can't head to the mediterranean resorts to get drunk and cause trouble. Fly camping has got bad enough that there is government talk of banning wild camping.

[DownYonder]

We live 7 miles from the AT @ Elk Garden. On July 3rd....8 days ago, a large black bear visited our bird feeder that is approximately 30' from our house at 7:10 am. I saw him as I passed our sliding glass doors on my way to turn on the coffee maker. I grabbed my 4yo grandson, wife and daughter so they could observe. I opened the sliding doors (on the 2nd story) to yell at the bear so it wouldn't destroy the bird feeder. He just looked at me and went back to eating. My wife joined me on the deck and we started banging the deck furniture to make noise. The bear trotted away. It was not "scared".

Last summer my daughter and I were backpacking in GSMNP. A bear climbed a tree and was able to steal another hiker's food that appeared to be well hung. Several of us banged pans and yelled at it but the bear was not dissuaded. It took being hit with a rock to get it to leave.

Some bears along the AT and in the GSMNP are accustomed to humans and show little fear. Be careful out there and remember that the slightest bit of breeze can negate the effectiveness of bear spray.